Naturebooks:Dinopedia
Welcome to Dinopedia!!!This encyclopedia is about everything to know about Dinosaurs so it may take a while before its finished!Anyone who wants to add something is welcome to do so but dont forget to put in a chapter, Subchapter, 2.Subchapter and cateagorize it!And add it in the contents too! The Age of Dinosaurs The Mesozoic Era, or the Age of Reptiles, lasted from 250 to 65 million years ago. Sharing the earth with the dinosaurs included swimming and flying reptiles, hence the name 'Age of Reptiles'. The Triassic Period Time: 250 - 200 million years ago The Late Triassic The Late Triassic was the time at which the dinosaurs first evolved. These first dinosaurs were small, birdlike, carnivorous creatures that ran on two legs. They would have eaten small lizards, and maybe hunted in packs to take down larger prey. They evolved around 230 million years ago. The earliest dinosaurs are commonly discovered in the Valley of the Moon. At the end of the Triassic, Prosauropods also evolved. Late Triassic Species Eoraptor - An agile carnivore that lived around 230 million years ago. The oldest known dinosaur. Length: 1 metre Height: 50cm Weight: 10kg Coelophysis - An agile carnivore that may have hunted in packs. Name means 'Hollow Form'. Lived about 228 million years ago. Length: 3 metres Height: 1 metre Weight: 25kg 'Herrerasaurus - '''A small carnivore named after Herrera, its discoverer. Length: 3 metres Height: 1 metre Weight: 40kg '''Plateosaurus '- The largest known prosauropod. It had a thumb spike on its hand for defence. Herbivorous. Length: 8 metres Height: 4 metres Weight: 2 tonnes The Jurassic Period Time: 200 - 145 million years ago. The Early Jurassic In the early Jurassic, dinosaurs began to diversify. Medium sized predators evolved, and so did armoured herbivores and Sauropods. Pangea, the supercontinent of the Triassic Period, split in two, causing new river and ocean currents, which in turn caused plant life to flourish and diversify. The Early Jurassic lasted from roughly 200 million years ago to 180 million years ago. Early Jurassic Species 'Dilophosaurus '- The first medium-sized predator. Had two strange crests on its head, shaped like half a dinner plate. Length: 6 metres Height: 2.5 metres Weight: 500kg 'Scelidosaurus '- A small, armoured herbivore, that may be in the Stegosaur or Ankylosaur family. Length: 4 metres Height: 1 metre Weight: 250kg 'Barapasaurus '- One of the first large sauropods. Length: 18 metres Height: 6 metres Weight: 20 tonnes The Middle Jurassic Little is known about the middle Jurassic. Dinosaurs continued to diversify, and Sauropods got bigger. New predators evolved, and around this time, life has been found even in Antarctica. Middle Jurassic Species 'Cryolophosaurus '- A medium-to-large predator from Antarctica, that preyed on late prosauropods. Length: 8 metres Height: 3 metres Weight: 1 tonne 'Gasosaurus '- a small predatory dinosaur that hunted sauropods in packs. Length: 4 metres Height: 1.5 metres Weight: 150kg 'Glacialisaurus '- one of the last prosauropods, that lived in Antarctica. Herbivorous. Probably preyed on by Cryolophosaurus. Length: 7 metres Height: 3 metres Weight: 3 tonnes The Late Jurassic Lots of dinosaurs are known from the Late Jurassic. Sauropods grew to enormous proportions, up to 40 metres in length. Large predators like Allosaurus hunted these, and smaller prey, like the 9 metre long Stegosaurus. Ceratosaurus dominated, then went extinct, due to competition with Allosaurus. The dinosaurs were at one of their peak moments when... at the end of the Jurassic, something unknown happened, that wiped out several dinosaurs, such as Allosaurus and Diplodocus. Pangaea continued to split up. Late Jurassic Species '''Allosaurus - '''The first truly large predator, that would have hunted prey like Sauropods, and stolen from smaller theropods. Length: 11 metres Height: 4 metres Weight: 2 tonnes '''Diplodocus - '''An enormous Sauropod that may have grown up to 30 metres long. Its main defence, other than size, was its long, whip-like tail. Length: 30 metres Height: 10 metres Weight: 10 tonnes '''Brachiosaurus - '''A very heavy Sauropod that was three times as tall as a giraffe. Length: 25 metres Height: 16 metres Weight: 50 tonnes '''Ceratosaurus - '''A medium sized predator that was eventually outcompeted by Allosaurus. Length: 7 metres Height: 3 metres Weight: 500kg '''Stegosaurus - '''An easily recognisable dinosaur, with two rows of plates running down its back, and four spikes on its tail. Length: 9 metres Height: 3 metres Weight: 3 tonnes '''Dryosaurus - '''A small, agile ornithopod that lived in family groups. Length: 2 metres Height: 50cm Weight: 50kg Category:Dinopedia